Have you at one point had a high fever, experienced extreme headache, felt nauseated to the point of vomiting, and was stiff and achy all over your body particularly on your neck and shoulders?
It wasn’t just a regular fever. Those were the symptoms of a life-threatening illness called meningitis. On top of those symptoms mentioned above, you could also find yourself withskin rash, disoriented and confused, sensitive to the light, and seizing.
Though meningitis could go away on its own without seeking medical treatment, the moment your fever is accompanied by intense headache and neck stiffness, go to your doctor right away as you may have acquired a more severe kind of meningitis called bacteria meningitis, which you will not know unless you go through aspinal fluid testing, where an antibiotic treatment is immediately prescribed to you due to the increased possibility of brain damage or death if left untended.
What is meningitis?
Meningitis is an infection that involves your spinal cord and brain that could be caused by virus, bacteria, fungus, or some drugs.
What causes it and how does it spread?
Enterovirus is the virus in charge in forming viral meningitis, which is most prevalent during summer and fall. This same enterovirus is also found in hand, foot, and mouth disease and myocarditis among others. You can catch viral meningitis by sharing food and drinks, kissing, or touching objects the infected person has touched.
Bacteria meningitis is basically caused by a bacteria that travels from your bloodstream down to your brain and spine, which is why it is more dangerous.
One type of bacterial meningitis is streptococcus pneumonia, which – you guessed it – causes pneumonia. But other than pneumonia, it is also the bacteria that causes brain abscess, ear infection, endocartitis, and other diseases you probably have heard on the show House before. Like viral meningitis, you get infected by this type of meningitis by being coughed or sneezed at or if there is saliva exchange. The second most typical kind of bacterial meningitis is Neisseria meningitides, to which young children, preteens, and teens are often the ones usually infected due to living setting, lifestyle, increased exposure to other people, and weaker immune system. This can result to brain damage, hearing loss, loss of organs or limbs, paralysis, kidney failure, or death.
Why do teens need to be aware of this?
It is not only the teenagers who should be aware of this but parents and other people as well. It is just that you need to pay extra attention if you are in your in high school or off to college living in a dorm as you tend to be more exposed to many people in closed quarters and meningitis is contagious. Parents who leave their small children in day care should be careful as well as their children have an increased chance of being exposed to other children in the day care who may have meningitis.
What can you do about it?
Hand wash as often as possible and prevent sharing food with another person. Also take vaccines.
